Why the state of Indianapolis tourism is strong
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Visit Indy executive vice president Chris Gahl speaks with Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever president Kelly Krauskopf and Indiana Fever chief operating officer and general manager Amber Cox. Photo: Courtesy of Visit Indy
The people responsible for throwing the Circle City's biggest bashes took a moment this week to celebrate Indianapolis tourism having its best year ever in 2024.
The big picture: Part business update, part pep rally, Visit Indy's annual state of tourism event at the Indiana Convention Center provided specifics about the records we smashed in 2024 while highlighting partnerships that will bring new events to the city into the mid-2030s.
Why it matters: The people who benefit most from Indy's rise as a red-hot tourism town are the Hoosiers who live and work here year-round.
- "A tangential benefit of having a year like 2024 is residential sentiment growing. Effusive praise for our city spilling onto social media and to family and friends … That is how you authentically market and sell a city. Through residential love," Visit Indy executive vice president Chris Gahl told Axios.
- "We believe that love was at an all-time high in 2024, and that is an invaluable sales and marketing strategy."
By the numbers: Interest in what Indianapolis has on tap in 2025 and beyond has created a future convention booking pipeline of 3.94 million hotel room nights, a record, per Visit Indy.
- 2024 saw a record 932,000 hotel room nights booked.
- Nine of the top 10 days for hotel bookings in Indianapolis history now belong to 2024, driven by events like the National Eucharistic Congress, the total solar eclipse and Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour."
- Several annual events hit new attendance high marks last year, including 71,000 at Gen Con, 36,500 at FDIC International and 27,000 at the NFL Combine.
- The 2025 Visit Indy convention and events calendar includes more than 65 events driving an estimated total attendance of more than 1.8 million people.
The latest: New medical conferences announced this week plan to come to Indianapolis.
- The American Academy of Family Physicians will hold its annual gathering here in 2028, bringing an estimated economic impact of $12.2 million.
- The American Society of Plastic Surgeons will come in 2033 for a conference with an estimated impact of $3.7 million.
The intrigue: Emphasized throughout the state of tourism was Indianapolis' focus on women's sports. City leaders have a vision to make Indy the women's sports capital of the world by 2050.
- In addition to being held on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, the event saw the Indiana Fever accept the 2025 Bill McGowan Leadership Award — the city's highest tourism award — for driving interest to the city via their stellar 2024 season.
- Past award recipients include Madam C.J. Walker, Peyton Manning and David Letterman.
Fun fact: After accepting the award alongside Fever president Kelly Krauskopf and chief operating officer and general manager Amber Cox, 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark hyped her upcoming collaboration with a fellow McGowan award-winner.
- Clark will be a guest on the next season of Letterman's Netflix show. The episode should include a few rounds of duckpin bowling and a stop at legendary Long's Bakery.
- "Inflation hasn't hit that place somehow," Clark said of the cash-only donut spot. "When they're fresh and they're warm, there's really nothing like it."
What's next: The next big event on the calendar is the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium from Feb. 24-March 3.
- Throughout March, the city will host the Big Ten men's and women's basketball tournaments; the Nike Mid-East Qualifier for volleyball; and the NCAA Midwest Regional men's basketball championship.